The Wicker Man (1973)
Directed by Robin Hardy

Film Review

Often cited as the best of British horror films, The Wicker Man is certainly one of the most unusual and disturbing films in the horror genre, a cult classic that still manages to shock audiences and divide critical opinion.  In the late 1970s, the American film magazine Cinefantastique described it as the Citizen Kane of horror movies - not a bad outcome for a low budget film that failed to find an audience on its first release and suffered multiple cuts and various restoration attempts.

The film's origin was as chaotic and unpredictable as its subsequent history.  Writer Anthony Shaffer was keen to script an adaptation of David Pinner's novel Ritual.  The actor Christopher Lee was eager to break away from the Gothic horror films that he was most associated with.  And Peter Snell, head of British Lion, wanted to make a popular low budget film that would help salvage his ailing company.  The three men had a shared interest in the project but it soon became apparent that Pinner's novel was to weak to provide the basis for a film.  With director Robin Hardy, they developed an alternative storyline, which evolved into The Wicker Man.  The story would depict a confrontation between the beliefs of the past - Celtic paganism - and those of the present - Christianity.  It would be far more than a conventional horror film.  It would explore some powerful existentialist and metaphysical themes, showing the dangers inherent in any religion and the evil that can follow from an unquestioning adherence to any belief system.  Shaffer undertook meticulous research to ensure that pagan customs were faithfully represented in the film, a factor that added greatly to its stark documentary feel and realism.

After Michael York and David Hemmings turned down the lead role, the part of the ill-fated Sergeant Howie went to Edward Woodward, who, at the time, was familiar to British audiences for playing the lead in the hit gritty television spy series Callan.  Christopher Lee was an obvious casting choice for the sinister laird of Summerisle and gives what the actor considers to be his best performance.  Swedish film star Britt Ekland was cast as the nymphomaniac temptress who attempts to seduce Woodward, although her inability to deliver a Scottish accent led to all of her dialogue being dubbed by Annie Ross.  The infamous erotica sequence in which Ekland dances nude in her bedroom was partly shot with a double because the actress was in the early stages of pregnancy at the time.

It was during the making of this film that British Lion ran into severe financial difficulties, just as the British film industry was heading for terminal decline.  The company was rescued by wealthy entrepreneur John Bentley who, to prove that he wasn't out to asset strip, insisted that the film be put into production fast.  Hence The Wicker Man was shot earlier than planned, over an eight week period in autumn 1972.  Since the story takes place in spring, the exteriors had to be dressed with plastic trees and fake blossoms, trickery which doesn't quite achieve the desired result.    The film was shot on location in various mainland Scottish towns, including Newton Stewart, and because of the budgetary restrictions several members of the cast and crew (including Christopher Lee) forwent their modest pay cheques.  By the time the film had been completed, British Lion had changed hands again, and was now owned by EMI.

The Wicker Man's release was compromised by poor marketing and EMI's inability (or unwillingness) to find a suitable American distributor.  The film was subject to several cuts, which reduced its length from 99 minutes down to 87 minutes (and this after Hardy had removed several sequences, including an unnecessary preamble on the mainland).  As a result of these three factors, the film failed to find an audience and performed far worse at the box office than anyone had anticipated.  It fell into obscurity for a few years before Robin Hardy decided, in 1976, to restore the film.  Unfortunately, much of the cut footage had been lost and only a partial restoration was possible at the time.

It was not until 2001 that a near-complete restoration of the original film was achieved, thanks to the efforts of its new owners, Canal+ and Anchor Bay.  In the interim period, the film's reputation grew massively and it soon acquired a cult status.  Today, The Wicker Man is both popular with audiences and highly regarded by critics and film historians, with many asserting that it is one of the finest horror films of all time.  A Hollywood remake came along in 2006, starring Nicholas Cage, but this singularly lacks the understated menace, moral subtext and horrific climax of the original.  Robin Hardy is currently working on a sequel to The Wicker Man, entitled Cowboys for Christ, to be released in 2009, with Christopher Lee again playing a lead character.

The Wicker Man is unlike any other horror film, weaving together black comedy, thriller, folk tradition and musical into a chilling morality tale which manages to be more frightening and effective on a second or third viewing.  Watching the film for the first time, it has a whimsical charm and gentility which makes its dramatic ending a genuine surprise, one that is almost unbearably horrific.  On subsequent viewings, the film is increasingly dark and unsettling, since now we know that beneath the surface whimsy there lies something truly horrible.

What is particularly disturbing about The Wicker Man is what it appears to be saying about religion.  Its thesis is that all faith is delusional, a charade human beings exploit to indulge their darkest desires and petty prejudices in the misguided belief that this will propitiate an all-powerful unseen deity.  Christianity is no better than paganism and perhaps, in a few centuries, will be regarded in the same way that we currently regard Druidism - superstitious folly.  The burning of the Wicker Man is a potent symbol of the ultimate fate that awaits mankind unless he grows up and learns to accept the reality of his solitary godless existence.

Film Synopsis

Police sergeant Neil Howie arrives on the remote Scottish island of Summerisle, having received an anonymous letter claiming that a young girl has mysteriously disappeared.  No one on the island is aware that a girl has gone missing and yet Howie is convinced that foul play is afoot.  The police officer, a devout Christian and a virgin, is appalled by the pagan beliefs and customs which the islanders subscribe to, which include copulating in church yards, dancing naked around outdoor bonfires and instructing young girls on the phallic significance of the Maypole.  He stoically resists the obvious attempts by his landlord's daughter to seduce him, although he is tempted.  Even the island's laird, a cultured and intelligent man, sees nothing wrong in the old pagan ways.  Howie is rapidly convinced that the missing girl is being hidden somewhere on the island, intended as a human sacrifice to appease the gods after a failed harvest.  The truth is more terrible than he can imagine...